Declare your assets, PAS tells Najib and Rosmah

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, should declare their wealth following reports that billions of ringgit were credited into Najib’s personal accounts, says a PAS leader. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, July 3, 2015.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor must immediately declare their wealth and assets following reports that billions of ringgit were credited into the prime minister's personal accounts, PAS said today.

Its deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (pic, right) said that denial and statements from the police, Najib, or even 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) could no longer arrest the negative perception of Najib's image.

"The banks named in this declaration should bear witness to the declared accounts so that it appears credible," Tuan Ibrahim said.

"Such a move will be much more effective to deal with the accusations made this time around."

He said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar couldn’t help in the matter either as he had previously declared that there was no element of criminal breach of trust (CBT) in the controversial purchase of Australian properties by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara).

Just days after Khalid's claim, Mara suspended two senior officials from Mara Inc who were involved in the purchase.

"PAS also suggests that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing of 1MDB bosses be expedited," Tuan Ibrahim said.

He warned Putrajaya not to make matters worse with "suspicious" moves, referring to Putrajaya's warning issued to The Edge over its 1MDB reportage, and the decision not to make public the interim report on 1MDB by the auditor-general.

"There is a stark difference in how government agencies deal with the accusations against 1MDB, and the people who make the accusations," he said.

In a damning article today, the Wall Street Journal and the Sarawak Report said that US$700 million was transferred to Najib's accounts prior to the 2013 general election.

Both quoted documents from the 1MDB probe currently being carried out by the Malaysian government, with Sarawak Report saying that the attorney-general was also aware of the information.

According to WSJ, the documents showed that US$700 million (RM2.67 billion) was moved among government agencies, banks and entities linked to 1MDB before finally ending up in the prime minister's personal accounts in five separate deposits.

Following this, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Najib should resign if he failed to explain the claims, adding that this was the first time he was asking the prime minister to resign because of the severity of the allegation.

"I have never asked him to resign. We hope he can respond to the serious allegation," Lim said.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua, who expressed concern over the report, urged Najib to sue WSJ to clear his name.

He said Najib should have no issues doing this as he had sued other individuals and media outlets over so-called inaccurate reporting, such as Malaysiakini, Media Rakyat and PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli. He added that lately, Putrajaya had also warned business newspaper The Edge over its supposedly inaccurate reporting of the 1MDB issue.

"So if the prime minister is confident enough, he should sue Wall Street Journal for inaccurate reporting to clear his name," Tian Chua said at a press conference in Petaling Jaya today.

- TMI